White House rejects national rule mandating masks

The White House is again rejecting calls for a national mask-wearing mandate.

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows says in an appearance on “Fox and Friends” Monday morning that the president sees the issue as a “state-to-state” matter.

He says that “certainly a national mandate is not in order” and that “we’re allowing our local governors and our local mayors to weigh in on that.”

Vice President Mike Pence, right, removes his face mask as he gets set to speak at a news conference with Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, left, after meeting to discuss the surge in coronavirus cases in Phoenix, Arizona, July 1, 2020. (Ross D. Franklin/AP)

New Jersey’s Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has said he’d like to see a national strategy on the coronavirus, including a mask requirement. He says his state is seeing “small spikes in reinfection” from residents coming back from Florida, South Carolina and other virus hotspots, and the US is “as strong as our weakest link right now.”

US Vice President Mike Pence has also rejected the idea of a national mandate, saying that’s up to governors and local health officials.

— AP